Email this article to a friend

How many furlough days did feds actually take?

A great hue and cry occurred in March when agencies suddenly realized the long-
dreaded sequester was actually going to happen.

As agency heads struggled to find ways to offset billions of dollars in
unexpected, automatic budget cuts, the threat of furloughs — temporary
unpaid leave — became a reality for many federal workers.

The graph below compares the number of furlough days originally prescribed by
agencies to the number actually taken by employees.

While some agencies anticipated many furlough days, the actual number turned out
to be much smaller. Other agencies were able to find savings elsewhere and avoid
furloughs altogether.

A comparison of planned and actual furlough days.

Furloughs at some agencies have received more attention due to their complexity,
as well as the number of employees affected.

Defense Department:
Two weeks into March, the Pentagon announced it would furlough its
civilian employees for a total of 22 days. Later, it trimmed that
number to 14, and then in May, it reduced the number again to 11 furlough days. On Aug.
6, the Pentagon said it had found sufficient savings to reduce furloughs
for a final time this fiscal year. After all was said and done, DoD civilian
employees ended up taking a total
of six furlough days.

Environmental Protection Agency:
The EPA planned for a total of 79 furlough hours,
approximately 10 days, divided into two phases. During Phase 1, EPA employees were
furloughed for 32 hours, or four, eight-hours days. In Phase 2, EPA employees were
originally scheduled to be furloughed for 47 hours, approximately six days. The
agency ended up reducing that number to 15 hours, or approximately two days. Overall, EPA
employees were furloughed for six days.

Federal Aviation Administration:
Amid objections that furloughing air traffic controllers would cause major travel
delays and present safety concerns, the FAA
embarked on a bi-weekly furlough schedule in April. After one week of coast-to-
coast delays, Congress allowed the FAA to cancel its furloughs.

Internal Revenue Service:
The IRS originally planned for five furlough days but
canceled one scheduled for July 22 and postponed another set for Aug. 30. So far, IRS employees have taken three furlough
days. The agency will reassess whether it needs an additional furlough day next
month before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.